R.I.P. Gil Scott-Heron

[MrJibbles]

US musician and poet Gil Scott-Heron has died aged 62, media reports, publicists and publishers have said.

The cause of Scott-Heron's death, in a New York hospital, is not clear.

Scott-Heron's material spanned soul, jazz, blues and the spoken word and his 1970s work heavily influenced the US hip-hop and rap scenes.

There was a strong political element to the Chicago-born artist's work; one of his most famous compositions was The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.

'Godfather of rap'

Scott-Heron's friend Doris Nolan said the musician had died at St Luke's Hospital on Friday afternoon, the Associated Press news agency reports.

She said Scott-Heron had become sick upon returning from a European trip.

Two recording companies later also carried reports that the musician had died.

Scott-Heron was often described as the godfather of rap.

However, the artist himself rejected this title.

"If there was any individual initiative that I was responsible for it might have been that there was music in certain poems of mine, with complete progression and repeating 'hooks', which made them more like songs than just recitations with percussion," Scott-Heron wrote in the introduction to his 1990 Now and Then collection of poems.

His most recent album I'm New Here - released last year - was widely acclaimed and brought him to the attention of a new generation.

Among the rappers immediately tweeting tributes were Talib Kweli and Chuck D of Public Enemy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcHOq8i5Pyk

[Guest Awesome Kong]

RIP

[Wavant]

f*ck

R.I.P.

[Wavant]

f*ck

R.I.P.

[Mr Q]

R.I.P

[Beavis]

R.I.P

[The King]

f*ck

R.I.P.

[Lionel & Dave]

f*ck

R.I.P.

LEGEND

THE DEFINITION OF

[Rippy]

f*ck

R.I.P.

[Bruno Di Gradi]

R.I.P

POWERFUL sh*t

[NiNES.]

becoming a bit to frequent that i log into vip2 in the morning and see a rip thread

rip

[Guest FA23]

R.I.P

[djbmc]

becoming a bit to frequent that i log into vip2 in the morning and see a rip thread

rip

[Vertigo]

RIP

Got to meet him last year a great man.

[O.Man]

It's so weird, yesterday midday for the first time i started listening to his album with Jamie XX, than midnight i log on to vip2 see trilliams status

[Superstition]

Just so gutted about this. Gil was/is the truth. He will be painfully missed.

RIP.

had tickets to see him last year at RFH and the concert got cancelled coz of f*ck*ng volcanic ash

[Trilliam]

Went into Urban Outfitters yesterday and they were playing his ting with Jamie XX.

Mudness.

[Guest Esquilax]

He did a f*ck*ng lot for music, and most people won't know who he is

RIP

[Skenghis Khan]

did you hear what they said? they said another legends dead.

R.I.P

[Guest WAVESURFER]

R.I.P.

[Michel Kane]

R.I.P

[Grafter]

RIP

Serious artist

Might not be such a bad idea if i neverrrr...

[TALLWAH]

R.I.P